About a month ago, I loaded up my #MustangMachE and embarked on my relocation drive from Chicago, IL to Mebane, NC (just outside of Raleigh, NC). I was going straight to a friend’s place in Winston-Salem and had mapped my route and a back-up route with more frequent charging stops.
If you are ever embarking on an EV road trip, I highly recommend using the Plug-Share app and mapping your own route. Ford’s navigation included 2+ hour stops at level 2 chargers. I understand that Ford’s route may have been less distance overall but the charge time was insanely long. With the Plug-Share app, I could easily filter by chargers by charging speeds.
After just my first charging stop, I decided to take my own advice and not skip chargers. I made a game-time decision to change my route and stop at more chargers.
My initial route was pushing the limit on my range and wouldn’t account for any potential issues along the way. My revised route made me feel more comfortable. By traveling less distance between charging stops, I could vary to what charge level I charged. I did have charging speeds over 150 kW but if charging slowed down to less than 85 kW, I usually stopped charging as long as I had at least a 30 mile range buffer to my next stop and hit the road again to optimize my overall travel time.
I did the entire trip using only Electrify America chargers. I was driving alone (as my husband and dogs were staying in Chicago a bit longer to handle getting our belongings moved). I know Electrify America stations are at major shopping centers where I feel safe stopping alone, even when I’m unfamiliar with the area. I know there will be clean restrooms and places I can get a snack or drink for the drive.
I tend to walk around the parking lot while the car charges. I’m not really a road trip person in general and it’s hard for me to sit in a car for several hours. I use the charging time to stretch and move around and get ready for more driving/sitting time.
One thing people may not realize is just how great the EV community is. I met some really nice people while at charging stations. We share experiences and lessons learned and talk about our awesome cars. Two times along my long single-day trip, I was charging with someone at one station and then we saw each other again at the next charging station. There aren’t a ton of cyber orange Mach-E’s on the road so other drivers usually recognize me before I recognize them. We compare routes and talk about where we are going and our next charging stops.
I made it to my friend’s house just before midnight with about 30% charge left. This was sufficient to get me to the DC fast charger in Greensboro, NC on my way to Mebane, the next morning and she had welcome balloons and champagne for me.
